Rugged Red Half Marathon Training Diary - Base Building
I had a pretty chill winter so far with a little skiing, some hiking, and just a handful of runs. While this might mean I’m out of shape in terms of running, I’ve spent more than enough time on feet this Winter to cover a half marathon or more…slowly.
So, I’ll have a short, 4-week training cycle into my first race of the year, the Heart Mini Marathon on March 16th. This is the start of building a solid aerobic base for some races later this year with the Rugged Red Half Marathon in October being my key race.
It’s also good to get in shape for longer hiking days with the equinox on the horizon and 12+ hours of daylight just around the corner.
For me, I like to build an aerobic base on 4 training days:
60 minutes of easy running (Zone 2)
60 minutes of incline treadmill (Zone 2) -OR- a half day of hiking (Zones 1 & 2)
60 minutes of easy running (Zone 2)
60 minutes of fast walking (Zone 1)
Yoga/stretching on off days
After several weeks of this, I’ll sprinkle in some speed work, longer runs, and much longer days on trail. At peak training, that’ll look like this:
60 minutes of easy running (Zone 2)
60 minutes of incline treadmill (Zone 2)
90 minutes of easy running with speed work mixed in (Zones 2 through Max)
4 hour trail run -OR- 8 to 12 hour hike
Yoga/stretching on off days
BTW, when I first started running, it was all about distance and pace from some downloaded training plan on the Interwebnets. After running a decade with plenty of marathons and ultras, I’ve shifted to focusing on time on feet at easy effort levels. I hated running at the beginning, but have come to enjoy it after figuring out how to do it with ease.
It’s walking. Then fast walking. Then slow running. And the occasional sprint…or steep AF hill.
And, remember that trail running is walking, fast walking, slow running, and the occasional fast downhill.
If you’re interested in running, follow that progression and try to do it with your mouth closed. As you need more air, breathe deeper into your belly. After you’ve mastered running with your mouth closed, you’ll find slow running is a helluvalot more enjoyable.
AND, if you are gasping for breath, slow down and walk. Or if you’re going up a steep ass hill, stop and catch your breath. It’s time on feet, not time gasping for breath. Your heart is still pumping when you stop, so while your mileage count might be paused when you stop, the training effect on your cardiovascular system keeps going.